my justification, painted deliberately in a grown-up book! I
looked about for my saint-friends--the armour man and the other
fellow--but they were not to be seen. Evidently they were unable
to get off duty, even for a wedding, and still stood on guard in
that green meadow down below. I was disappointed, too, that not
an angel was visible. One or two of them, surely, could easily
have been spared for an hour, to run up and see the show;
and they would have been thoroughly at home here, in the midst of
all the colour and the movement and the fun.

But it was time to get on, for clearly the interest was only just
beginning. Over went the next page, and there we were, the whole
crowd of us, assembled in a noble church. It was not easy to
make out exactly what was going on; but in the throng I was
delighted to recognize my angels at last, happy and very much at
home. They had managed to get leave off, evidently, and must
have run up the hill and scampered breathlessly through the gate;
and perhaps they cried a little when they found the square empty,
and thought the fun must be all over. Two of them had got hold
of a great wax candle apiece, as much as they could stagger
under, and were tittering sideways at each other as the
grease ran bountifully over their clothes. A third had strolled
in among the company, and was chatting to a young gentleman, with
whom she appeared to be on the best of terms. Decidedly, this
was the right breed of angel for us. None of your sick-bed or
night nursery business for them!

Well, no doubt they were now being married, He and She, just as
always happened. And then, of course, they were going to live
happily ever after; and THAT was the part I wanted to get to.